Location-based services, such as computerized searching for information related to places or points of interest (POIs) located within a specific area of interest (AOI) are provided in a number of different industries, including the travel services industry. Conventionally, such services permit a user to search for POIs located within a specified radial distance from a specified geographic point, the radial distance and geographic point defining a circular AOI. For example, a user desiring to search for information related to hotels within the metro-Dallas, Tex. area may request information related to hotels within fifteen miles of Dallas, Tex. (the specification of Dallas, Tex. interpreted as the geometric center point of the city of Dallas, Tex.).
As will be appreciated, however, geographic locations are typically not logically divided into areas that may be easily captured by circular AOIs. In this regard, although a user may specify an area of fifteen miles within Dallas, Tex., the metro-Dallas area may include portions outside of a fifteen mile radius of the center of Dallas. Likewise, portions of the area of fifteen miles within Dallas, Tex. may not be within the metro-Dallas area. Thus, by specifying a radial search of fifteen miles within Dallas, Tex., a user may not receive information related to hotels that are actually within the metro-Dallas area, and/or may receive information related to hotels that are not within the metro-Dallas area.